“Nevertheless, obscurity demands cult appreciation, even if the game blows polygonal pus-chunks – (apologies for that sadly necessary visualisation) – so if you’re tired of collecting and losing more rings than a veteran gold-digger, why not step into one? The sound barrier remains intact, the difficulty is devastatingly disparate, the controls are a couple notches above crap, and apparently knocking a girl to her knees is okay. If you can muster some reason to tolerate these failings, an hour of mediocre fun awaits you inSonic Smash Bros. – sigh, okay, Sonic The Fighters… the name sucks, but fine, Sega. Fine.”

]]>http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/sonic-the-fighters-video-retro-reflection/feed0Sonic The Fighters Retro Reflectionhttp://www.awesomegames.co.uk/sonic-the-fighters-retro-reflection
http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/sonic-the-fighters-retro-reflection#commentsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:49:04 +0000http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/?p=30659There was a time, believe it or not, when Sonic the Hedgehog was a household name. With as much edge as hedge, Sega’s blue speed demon was “killer-app incarnate”, single-handedly selling the Genesis with lightning voracity and putting Mario’s job in jeopardy. Then, something changed. Something no one saw coming. Sonic slowed down, and the games stopped being fun.

When exactly did ring-racing cease to be an amphetamine-like assault of euphoria and become depressingly desiccated, you ask? Most contend it was around the time Sonic went 3D, main titles like Sonic Adventure becoming mired in subpar story filler instead of focusing on fast-paced gameplay. To be sure, there were the occasional bad eggs – er, eggmen – before Sonic’s Dreamcast debut, but only those that deviated from the franchise’s signature: speed!

Easy cash grab? In retrospect, you betcha!

If Sonic’s downfall began roughly around the time he went polygonal, there is one culprit we can acutely single out as the start of a long deceleration for Sega’s flagship brand. Sonic The Fighters began as a working idea to feature the eponymous hedgehog and his multi-tailed partner Miles in a beat-‘em-up brawler after their cameo inclusion in a previous fighting game sparked publisher interest. Sega’s AM2 division, responsible for a wildly hot string of arcade hits which included the mega-smash Virtua The Fighter (okay, just Virtua Fighter), spat in the face of scepticism and authorised the unthinkable: Sonic throwing his super-sneakers away, sporting his best pair of boxing mitts, and stepping into the ring – opposed to collecting it.

Prickly Punch

Easy cash grab? In retrospect, you betcha! It’s hard to see the game as anything less than a poorly reassembled Virtua Fighter in disguise, slyly bearing its mega-brand with a ‘making money is so simple’ smirk of anticipation. But hey, all is fair in love and war as long as we’re not twiddling our thumbs, reaching for the power off button. Lots of franchises feature stand-out titles that barely resemble the gameplay of their parents, and have earned their cult or mainstream honours as classics – Starfox Adventures, Fallout 3, and Resident Evil 4 are just a few daredevils that strayed from formula – so why not Sonic? Let the diagnosis begin.

The gang’s all here…

Once you got past the laughably awkward title translation (the game was renamed Sonic Championship for its North American and European release), you realize The Fighters’ greatest hook was seeing the Sonic universe in fully rendered 3D. Yes, you weren’t ploughing loop-the-loops just yet, but what eye-candy! Familiar environments and colours bled this arcade romp from start to finish – which isn’t a stretch – but aside from the character models and cartoonish little mini-plot, this was where familiarity faded into fighting.

And here’s where we hit a speed bump, quite literally. What comes to mind when you think of Virtua Fighter? Certainly not speed. Intergalactic moon-jumping, maybe. Seriously, who thought this was a good idea. Sonic couldn’t run to save his life, and the controls were hampered by obscene camera angles that confused your X-axis movement, and likely led to your smackdown by the hands of a ruthless Metal Sonic.

Furry Fighters

Technically, there’s an acceptable list of combos to pull off in The Fighters, but to win each bout, all you really need to do is mash the primary punch button to KO the short roster. Punch out that whiny sidekick Tails, that red-dread-head echidna Knuckles, and even the… adorable… loving… kind… Amy? Was this game that desperate to promote gender equality with the inclusion of a female character that it ran the risk of sponsoring domestic violence? Still, dropping her to the mat is good ole’ comic mischief fun. The ultimate problem is that no matter who you play as, all the moves and animations are essentially the same, so the variety category loses marks.

Metal Sonic is such a pain in the metal-backside to beat.

Being an arcade fighter before inciting cult ports, the replay return of a few dollars’ investment is underwhelming, as most will finish the final fight at a clock under 30 minutes. The short and single game mode is underscored by the fact that, apart from the last couple of CPU enemies, this is a really easy game to beat. Then you make it to the end and it’s good night and good luck. Metal Sonic is such a pain in the metal-backside to beat. Just one of his special moves is enough to take you out in just a few seconds, and is simply one of the most frustrating playthroughs fathomable.

Nevertheless, obscurity demands cult appreciation, even if the game blows polygonal pus-chunks – (apologies for that sadly necessary visualisation) – so if you’re tired of collecting and losing more rings than a veteran gold-digger, why not step into one? The sound barrier remains intact, the difficulty is devastatingly disparate, the controls are a couple notches above crap, and apparently knocking a girl to her knees is okay. If you can muster some reason to tolerate these failings, an hour of mediocre fun awaits you in Sonic Smash Bros. – sigh, okay, Sonic The Fighters… the name sucks, but fine, Sega. Fine.

]]>http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/pokemon-shuffle-has-been-downloaded-1-million-times/feed0Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode One Review – Fearless Foursomehttp://www.awesomegames.co.uk/resident-evil-revelations-2-episode-one-review
http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/resident-evil-revelations-2-episode-one-review#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 09:40:42 +0000http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/?p=30606Episodic format games have become a popular choice for developers in recent years. And it’s easy to see why from a financial and storytelling point of view. For a series like Resident Evil, which thrives on cliffhangers and leaving the audience hanging, it’s a good fit. The series already dabbled in the episodic format with Resident Evil: Revelations, which came packaged as a complete game but divided its story into chapters, complete with recaps of previous episodes and previews of the next one. Now its sequel, Resident Evil Revelations 2, has gone the whole hog by releasing the story in four chapters, each one coming out a week apart. We’ll be providing a look at each chapter followed by an overall wrap-up once episode four has been released.

Stay Tuned

It’s almost frustrating that the game’s been broken up because it’s good enough that you want to play more once the chapter’s finished. In many ways Resident Evil Revelations 2 combines many of the series’ best traits – claustrophobic combat, creepy atmosphere, collectables and hidden secrets to discover… although it does feel a little like the game is trying to emulate The Evil Within at times but without the context – an early scene that involves bodies dangling from a cage suspended through the middle of a spiral staircase for no apparent reason comes to mind.

It only takes two hours to blast through the chapter but during that time you’ll meet two series’ stalwarts and two newbies: seasoned star Claire Redfield, new recruit Moira Burton, doting dad Barry Burton, and creepy kid Natalia Korda. Each character’s paired off – Claire with Moira; Barry with Natalia – and the co-op system works pretty well. It also feels like there’s a real effort to connect all these characters in ways that references the series’ history right back to its first instalment. At one point Claire jokes to Moira that she was nearly a Claire sandwich after almost getting crushed, to which Moira exclaims “does Barry tell everyone that story?!” A later sequence sees Barry use a crane to smash through a locked set of double doors, demanding to know “who’s the master of unlocking now?”

Claire and Moira have a good weapons/flashlight dynamic.

The first half of the campaign sees Claire and Moira being kidnapped during a work event and waking up separate cells in some kind of dank prison. From there things take a turn into Saw-like territory as an unknown woman taunts them and opens doors, sets traps and generally toys with the two leads as they attempt to escape from the island penitentiary. The way the two characters play off each other works surprisingly well – you can switch between them at any time as Claire takes charge of firearm duty while Moira helps out with a flashlight.

More Light, More Light

Weapon upgrades are invaluable and there’s also a skill tree that can be utilised by collecting rubies found throughout the map.

The flashlight is a handy tool that does more than just light your way. Switch to Moira and you can shine it around to discover hidden items which gleam as the light hits them, at which point you’ll need to focus the beam with a button press in order to identify what the item is. It’s also an important combat tool, as focusing the beam on an enemy’s face for a few seconds blinds them, putting them into a stunned state that allows you and your partner to deliver a melee attack. It saves on ammo and lets Moira put her crowbar to suitable use. Natalia has a similar ability, albeit one that involves pointing at items to help Barry spot them. She can also detect enemies by crouching, at which point they appear through walls, ceilings and floors as an orangey haze. Her combat ability is the weakest of the four characters – understandable since she’s a little girl – but she can pick up bricks and throw them at weaker enemies to stun them, then club them to death with it while they’re on the floor. If you’re lucky enough to have friends then the game can be played in co-op, too.

The weapons handle well enough and the re-introduction of the dodge mechanic is a big help in close-quarters combat. Weapon upgrades are invaluable and there’s also a skill tree that can be utilised by collecting and spending points from rubies and other jewels found throughout the map. This is especially true of Raid Mode, an arcade shooting gallery that effectively acts as a glorified Mercenaries mode from the previous games. The lack of online multiplayer is a disappointment but picking a character and embarking on missions to earn loot, gold, and experience in Raid Mode is still good fun as a single-player experience. There’s been a clear effort on Capcom’s part to keep the mode supported thanks to daily challenges that reward players with different items and collectables.

The graphics are attractive enough, although there’s something about them that lacks that true current gen feel, almost as if the game had been upscaled from a last-gen build. There’s a fair amount of backtracking through Claire’s campaign area during Barry’s section and a couple of glitches that saw Moira vibrating up and down on the spot like some sort of human pogo stick, not to mention some disappointing frame rate drops which certainly broke the otherwise tense atmosphere.

A review code of Resident Evil Revelations 2: Episode 1 was provided courtesy of Capcom. The game was reviewed on PlayStation 4.

The First Reveal

]]>http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/resident-evil-revelations-2-episode-one-review/feed0Pokémon Shuffle’s Free-to-Play Formula is Super Effectivehttp://www.awesomegames.co.uk/pokemon-shuffles-free-to-play-formula-is-super-effective
http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/pokemon-shuffles-free-to-play-formula-is-super-effective#commentsFri, 27 Feb 2015 14:59:43 +0000http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/?p=30593Pokémon Shuffle may be one of the best eShop games I’ve ever played. And yes, I genuinely mean that. Wait… where are you going?… Stick with me here.

Ever since I foolishly downloaded Nintendo’s free-to-play game last weekend, I’ve been hooked on capturing pocket monsters using the game’s simple match-3 puzzle mechanics. I’ve logged over 8 hours of playtime, captured over 60 Pokémon, and even managed to snag the elusive Mew with only a 17% capture chance – what a momentous day that was!

Now, you’ve probably come to the conclusion that I am, quite clearly, utterly insane, extremely stupid or – even worse – a casual gamer. *urgh* After all, Pokémon Shuffle unashamedly features microtransactions. Every element is designed to suck you in, with the goal of making you part with your cash. It is Nintendo’s answer to Candy Crush – plain and simple.

I know it’s wrong to love Pokemon Shuffle, honestly I do.

But this is Nintendo we’re talking about. The masters of game design, the home of unforgettable IPs, and the kings of gameplay refinement. They can take a game you’ve played a million times over (i.e. Mario Kart) and turn it into a completely brand new experience.

Pokémon Shuffle falls into the same category. It may appear to be just another free-to-play puzzle game at first glance, but it’s been designed with Nintendo’s typical charm, eye for detail and is significantly bolstered by the allure of the Pokémon universe. The gameplay is simple but fun, and easy to pick up. The game’s overall presentation and music is also very appealing. It’s a killer combination and one of the reasons there’s so many advocates for Nintendo to make mobile games.

You’re mine, Mew! MINE!!!

But if Nintendo can nail the formula here, on their own platform, using their own digital storefront and their globally appealing IPs, why would they ever need to consider the finicky, poorly managed and over-run mess that is the iOS and Android gaming market?

Don’t Waste My Hearts, My Achy Breaky Hearts

Nintendo wizardry aside, there’s another reason why I can’t stop playing Pokémon Shuffle: it’s all down to the game’s time management system (otherwise known as hearts) and the timeless thrill of capturing Pokémon.

When someone tells you that you can’t have something, you want it even more!

Like the majority of free-to-play games, Pokémon Shuffle restricts how long you can play. Honestly, I love the fact that Pokémon Shuffle only lets me play in short bursts. Yes, I’m applauding a game for telling me I’m not allowed to play anymore, I’m aware of how crazy that sounds. But I’m not really used to being told I can’t do something these days, especially when it comes to playing video games. And you know what it’s like when someone tells you that you can’t have something: you want it even more!

Each time you challenge a Pokémon, you use up one precious heart whether you win or lose the battle. You can gain up to 5 hearts in total, with one heart being replenished every 30 minutes. This means I usually play the game for no longer than 15 minutes at a time before I have to shut it down and return in either 30 minutes or 2 hours and half hours… (And that wait lasts an eternity, let me tell you.)

Once you reach a certain stage (usually after you’ve defeated a trainer using a Mega Evolution Pokémon) you’re awarded with a jewel. Jewels can be used to purchase more hearts or coins, which can be used to give you stat boosts in battles like extra moves or experience points. And this is where the microtransactions come in.

The Pokémon have different abilities and attack power. Use them wisely!

You can buy one jewel for 89p, or purchase more for greater sums of money (the highest price being £42.99). As of writing, I’ve yet to spend a single penny in Pokémon Shuffle, and I plan to keep it that way. Fortunately my enjoyment with the game hasn’t been impacted in any noticeable way, other than having to wait. How many games teach you that patience is a virtue? Not many, that’s for sure.

You’ve Still Gotta Catch ‘Em All

Of course, the pièce de résistance in Pokémon Shuffle is trapping those pesky Pokémon in iconic red and white Poké balls. After each battle, you’re given an initial percentage of how successful your attempt at catching a particular Pokémon will be. These vary drastically, as you can imagine, but you can increase your capture chances by defeating the Pokémon as quickly as possible. The more moves you have available at the end of each battle, the better; you can also purchase a Great Ball if you have the in-game cash.

But don’t be fooled; the beauty of Pokémon Shuffle’s capture system is that sometimes the dead certs can get away and the near-impossible captures can somehow come good. The former is extremely frustrating when you’re down to your last heart, but the latter is an intoxicating prospect, and one of the reasons I keep coming back for more. This means that you have to train up your Pokémon, too, and try to capture the different types so your attacks will be super effective! I should point out that you don’t have to capture a Pokémon to move onto the next stage, you only need to defeat them.

Free To Love

I know it’s wrong to love Pokemon Shuffle, honestly I do. But it feels so goddamn right. I’m still having a blast catching Pokémon, stringing together wonderful combos and training up my posse of pocket monsters. That reminds me, I better go and see if any of my hearts have replenished… Ooo, only two more minutes left. You’re going down this time, Lucario!

]]>http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/pokemon-shuffles-free-to-play-formula-is-super-effective/feed1Why NightCry Could Revitalise Survival Horrorhttp://www.awesomegames.co.uk/why-nightcry-could-revitalise-survival-horror
http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/why-nightcry-could-revitalise-survival-horror#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 15:32:31 +0000http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/?p=30537Originality isn’t exactly rife this gen. Whether it’s HD remasters of games you’ve already played on Sony and Microsoft’s consoles or Nintendo churning what amounts to the same Mario games year after year, originality in the games industry is becoming as rare as pubic hair at a One Direction concert.

What makes Project Scissors: NightCry so unique is that it’s being driven by the passion of a small and dedicated team, not a soulless corporate need to rehash tried and tested formulas. Most of them aren’t even being paid, willingly getting on board for little or no salary to ensure the game meets the creative vision of one man – veteran game director Hifumi Kono, creator of the Clock Tower series, who is co-producing NightCry with Takashi Shimizu, director of classic Japanese horror film The Grudge.

The Cries of Creativity

NightCry started from Kono-san’s desire to return to his roots and create a truly terrifying horror adventure game. It’s for that reason that NightCry has been created as a 3D point-and-click adventure game where players click to move their character, and click on objects to inspect or interact with them. It’s an inspired decision and one brilliantly suited to the horror genre as point and click by its very nature leaves you largely defenceless. No guns. No crowbars. Not even a rolled up newspaper to swat your enemies away with. Your only defence is the environment and whatever items you can find within it.

Making the game into a point-and-click survival horror was a brave move. Since the end of their heyday in the 90’s, point-and-click games have all but died out, relegated to mobile devices and the occasional high-end PC release. Nowhere is that truer than the Japanese games market, which Kono believes has outright turned its back on the genre and on creativity in general. And he should know – the industry’s refusal to fund a point-and-click title led him and his team at Nude Maker to utilise crowd-funding site Kickstarter in the hope of raising the $300,000 needed to bring the game to life.

The cell phone will be essential to your survival – just make sure the Scissor Walker doesn’t hear it.

In a refreshingly frank post on the game’s Kickstarter page, Kono spoke of his frustration with the mainstream Japanese games industry, saying: “Unlike the past glory days of the Japanese game industry, point-and-click games are a genre no publisher likes to take a chance on nowadays. And it doesn’t help that Japanese publishers believe that the idea of a horror game without guns or weapons of any kind doesn’t have mass market appeal.

“Titles with original ideas and innovative gameplay have been largely pushed to the side in Japan.”

“We did secure some funding for the mobile version, but it’s simply not enough to give you, the fans, the big screen (PC) experience we heard you requesting. Titles with original ideas and innovative gameplay, which have been the creative bedrock of this industry, have been largely pushed to the side in Japan.”

Thankfully their Kickstarter campaign was a success and now the game is coming to PC, mobile and – he hopes – PS4 and Xbox One.

But what is the game even about? NightCry is set on a cruise ship, putting players in the role of a young blonde woman who’s been invited along for the cruise of a (possibly short) lifetime. While your surroundings are luxurious and the guests are friendly, not everything is as it should be and it’s not long before the guests and the crew start to turn up dead having been murdered in brutal fashion.

As those aboard begin to suspect each other, night falls, and a baby’s cry echoes throughout. It’s up to you to search for clues that will lead you to the killer as you float, lost, on the open sea.

Hide & Survive

The core gameplay of NightCry is comprised of two primary modes: exploration, and escape. While in exploration mode, the player explores the luxury cruise liner where the game is set, and investigates the strange and often gruesome happenings. Players click on objects in the environment to investigate and obtain items, helping to solve puzzles and gain more clues.

You’ll also encounter other cruise ship guests and crew during your investigation. Talking to them can reveal new information, and some could even prove essential to your surviving through the nightmare. At one point you’ll pick up a cell phone which can be used to keep in touch with the other survivors but in a cunning and nail-bitingly tense mechanic, using the phone – or allowing it to ring if a survivor phones you – will attract the attention of the Scissor Walker, a dark and giant scissor-wielding presence that stalks the player throughout the ship. In keeping with Kono’s earlier horror work, you can only run or hide in order to survive your encounters with this monster – fighting back isn’t an option. This is where escape mode comes in, which requires the player to run, hide and keep looking over the character’s shoulder to see where the beasty is. Try and hide while it’s still in sight and a gruesome death awaits you. Hide when it’s out of sight and you may just survive.

Worse still, this evil force isn’t confined to simply roaming the ship’s hallways, elevators, or rooms. The team wouldn’t go into details about what other abilities the sinister menace possesses but we’re assured there will be plenty of unpleasant surprises.

Running and hiding is the key to survival.

NightCry will also feature multiple endings, all of which are influenced by who you meet, what you discover, and other actions taken throughout the game.

The Clock Tower games were genuinely unsettling.

To have a game of this calibre being created by two masters of the horror genre, funded by a small group of independent investors, the creators’ own funds and now the gaming community itself, Kono and his team can now create a game free from corporate interference. Just look at Outlast, which was made by an indie studio and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest horror titles of recent years.

The Clock Tower games were genuinely unsettling and anyone who’s seen the original Japanese version of The Grudge (don’t talk to me about the American remake) knows that this is a pairing made in horror heaven. For these two creative minds to have the freedom to create the horror experience they want, unhindered by the mainstream games industry and backed by a team so loyal and dedicated to their vision that they’d willingly work for little or no money to see it brought to life, is a prospect that should leave any self-respecting horror fan salivating. The genre is being taken back to its roots by two masters of their craft, and they have all the freedom – and support from the gaming community – that they need to make something truly unique.

It’s an exciting time to be a survival horror fan.

]]>http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/why-nightcry-could-revitalise-survival-horror/feed0Could You Be God To One Person?http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/god-one-person
http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/god-one-person#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 14:07:32 +0000http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/?p=30560Like The Sims, But Not

A new PC game that lets you play God to just one person is seeking funding via Kickstarter.

Manly Mouse Studios has launched a 33-day Kickstarter campaign for You Are God to One Person, a game based on one simple premise: instead of playing god to an army, a city or even a whole civilization, the player is charged with the life of just one person. Manly Mouse Studios says there is an element of randomness to the game in that characters can make their own choices based on a set of attributes that the player assigns them, these choices can allow the character to spurn the player’s near-omnipotent control.

They also claim that You Are God to One Person “holds storymaking in the highest regard.”

“This is a game designed by writers, and made for those players who are frustrated when the story takes a back seat to marketing and corporate mismanagement,” said lead writer and head of Manly Mouse Studios, Daniel Xu. “Here, the story is our first, second, and third priority.”

Manly Mouse Studios is seeking $12,000 to develop the game, which will allow players to choose from a variety of playable characters, from lowly cooks to the sons of the landed elite. Together the stories of each individual character weave an interconnected story of You Are God to One Person’s world, a place described as “quickly falling into ruin”. In the game world, different nations are vying for power in the aftermath of the first industrial revolution. The era of clockwork machinery has come and gone, and war clouds are looming over the horizon as the world’s great powers eye new territories. Yet the focus will be the lives of the citizens of these different nations, each endeavoring to live life to its fullest. Special “Epic” class characters will be able to effect great changes on the world, while “Mundane” characters will also have their own triumphs and pitfalls as they seek a small slice of happiness.

PC gamers across the country slammed their fists against their desks in frustration today after Rockstar confirmed that Grand Theft Auto Vhas been delayed for a third time.

The game was initially scheduled to ship in “Fall 2014,” and then in late January, and then on March 24. It’s now set to launch on April 14.

“Our apologies to PC gamers worldwide who have been counting down the days until the launch of the game, but a bit more time is needed to ensure that the game is as polished as possible,” Rockstar said.

As a gesture of goodwill, players who have pre-ordered the game will receive an additional $200,000 in-game cash bonus to use in GTA Online.

In better news, Rockstar also revealed that Heists, the new gameplay mode for GTA Online, is finally going to launch on March 10 for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360. Heists task teams of up to four players with pulling off a spate of raids and robberies across Los Santos and Blaine County. This mode will also be available to PC gamers should the PC version of the game ever release.

A new story trailer showing off PS4 exclusive Bloodborne’s dark tone has been released courtesy of IGN.

The game takes place in the gothic, ruined city of Yharnam which is rumored to house a potent medical remedy. Over the years, many travelers make pilgrimages to the city seeking the remedy to cure their afflictions; the player takes the role as one of these travelers. Upon arriving in the city, however, it is discovered that the city is plagued with an endemic illness that has malformed most of its denizens into bestial creatures. The player must navigate the streets of Yharnam and overcome its violently deranged inhabitants and horrifying monsters in order to survive.

Bloodborne will be released on March 24, exclusively for PS4.

]]>http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/bloodborne-trailer-sets-dark-mood/feed0Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Retro Reflectionhttp://www.awesomegames.co.uk/prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time-retro-reflection
http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/prince-of-persia-the-sands-of-time-retro-reflection#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2015 09:49:30 +0000http://www.awesomegames.co.uk/?p=30514If you’ve read anything about Monolith’s Shadow of Mordor recently, you probably know that it borrows heavily from Ubisoft’s huge Assassin’s Creed franchise. Criticisms of plagiarism and stale gameplay are all well and good, but has anyone ever stopped to ask where those games took their ideas from? The answer, of course, is the Prince of Persia franchise.

Before we get into the main course of this retro reflection, I should probably clarify that I’m talking about Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ubisoft’s 3D update of the original franchise that flipped onto the PS2, GameCube, Xbox and PC back in 2003. When hack ‘n’ slash adventures were some of the most popular, profitable titles to develop, Ubisoft looked back to the original 2D side-scroller for inspiration, and carved out their niche in the market by giving us a game that truly revolutionised the concept of what a platformer should be.

Indiana Jones and the…Dagger of Time?

Before we get to gameplay mechanics, however, it’s best to start with the plot, which in the case of Prince of Persia was gripping and well-paced to say the least. The story follows the titular Prince as he journeys with his father through India to conquer a particularly well-defended city with the help of a local corrupt and traitorous government official. Enter the Vizier, the game’s main antagonist who, for all intents and purposes, both sounds and looks like he’s been lifted straight from the pages of an Indiana Jones script. During the attack on the city, the Prince, who is well characterised as both charming and brash, makes a beeline for the Maharajah’s vaults, and happens upon the dagger of time (anyone else getting some more Indiana vibes?).

Can’t help but think this would have gone a lot faster if the Prince carried a six-shooter around with him.

Upon hearing of the dagger, the Vizier, who is obviously a bad-egg at this point, demands it as payment for his services to the King. Obviously the King refuses, and the power-crazed Vizier tricks the Prince into unleashing the Sands of Time, which creates a terrific sandstorm, turning the majority of the local inhabitants into husky sand monsters. And why might you ask does he do this? Well why does any Indiana Jones villain do anything? For eternal life of course! The Prince and his companion Farah, with whom he shares a poignant, believable romance story, manage to escape; and thus the quest to take down the evil Vizier ensues.

You Drive Me Up the Wall

Sands of Time demarcated itself from other titles on the market with its punishing, and yet oh so sweetly gratifying, platforming elements. The game didn’t just demand a pretty basic level of spatial awareness and moderate reflexes; instead navigating the sand-swept palace required unflinching concentration, excellent hand-eye coordination and reflexes that would make the Flash look like a stay-at-home Dad of four.

Players needed some, *clears throat*, ‘sharp’ reflexes.

Players had to make use of the Prince’s notable acrobatic skills to leap, roll and wall-run around the various spike-pits, spinning blades and sweeping pendulums that pervaded every room and corridor of the building. Strangely enough, I’ve only now just stopped to question the inclusion of so many blatant health hazards in a palace, where a community of people supposedly lived and worked? Navigating these puzzles wasn’t simply a matter of knowing when to press ‘jump’, in fact players often had to carefully time multiple leaps, wall-runs and flips to avoid a litany of deathly obstacles, creating a sense of momentum that quickly punished those who dared hesitate.

Don’t Flip Out!

Combat built upon these staple aspects of movement and freedom. The aptly named Sand Monsters came in a few shapes and forms, but none were ever really a match for the agile, lithe Prince. Successful players combined sword attacks with an impressively responsive dodging system, which afforded them some much needed respite when surrounded by foes. They could also make use of the surrounding environment, scaling walls to deliver devastating attacks from below, and forcing enemies into the plethora of gyrating sharp objects around.

Farah would also attack from afar using her bow, but unfortunately developer Ubisoft forgot to turn her friendly fire setting off.

Upon vanquishing the assailants, players quickly had to absorb their ‘sand-energy’ (not a technical term) with the dagger, or risk having to trade blows with them again. In select areas the Prince’s love-interest Farah would also attack from afar using her bow, but unfortunately developer Ubisoft forgot to turn her friendly fire setting off. Boss battles, of which there were only two, unfortunately didn’t really stand out, but it was still fun to make use of the Prince’s gymnastic prowess against a different class of enemy.

Can I Get A Rewind?

That cultural reference was probably still current when the game was published, I promise.

The wordplay of course refers to the coveted dagger of time, the Prince’s sidearm that afforded players a host of time-bending abilities to even the odds against all those snares and monsters. In exchange for a set cost of sand-tanks, players could slow down time to avoid whatever spiky object was currently edging closer to their finely trimmed facial hair, whether said object was protruding from a wall or an enemy’s hand. In combat, they could also take adversaries down in a single swipe, and even use the dagger to stun large groups of assailants at once.

“Jeez, did no one ever tell the guy who built this place about stairs?”

Most importantly, however, the dagger allowed players to briefly rewind time for approximately 10 seconds, permitting them a second (or fifth) chance at those murderous corridors. It was this power that truly set Prince of Persia aside, and offered players a new way to experience platformer games. The rewind mechanic made the punishing array of environmental obstacles out there a little less daunting, and encouraged lazy gamers (i.e. me) to give them just one more shot. In combat, rewinding time could bring you back from the brink of death, but obviously at a price. Resurrection in this manner usually meant that you came back from the sandy grave with only a smidgen of health left, making fights a tense game of careful avoidance and risky counter attacks. The plethora of ways in which players could influence time added a fresh layer of choice and strategy onto an already competent platformer experience.

It’s no wonder that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is sited as such a source of inspiration for the array of action-adventure games on the market today. Its combination of fluid, reactive melee combat and tense, thrilling platforming sections alone would have made it a standout title. The addition of the time powers then feels like the icing on top of the cake; giving players the ability to control time in such a variety of ways made platforming more accessible, and therefore more enjoyable. More than that, however, I still enjoy occasionally revisiting this game because it feels like a direct vein back to the original 2D franchise which, if you’re of my generation, you probably weren’t lucky enough to experience the first time around.